At least 19 people were killed when two Southern Railway passenger trains crashed head-on in Rockmart, Georgia, just before Christmas in 1926.
Between 6:40 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 23, 1926, the Ponce de Leon and the Royal Palm collided roughly 4,000 feet south of the Rockmart station. The location on the Atlanta Division between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee, was on a curve with a descending grade for northbound trains.
Southbound passenger train No. 101, the Royal Palm, arrived at Rockmart at 6:35 p.m. The train consisted of one club car, five Pullman sleeping cars, one dining car and two Pullman sleeping cars, all of steel construction, pulled by engine 1456 with Engineer Arthur M. Corrie at the throttle.
It received a clearance card indicating the block would be clear upon the arrival of northbound passenger train first No. 2, the Ponce de Leon. The train operated om two sections on this run.
The Ponce de Leon consisted of one combination car, one coach, one dining car, and seven Pullman sleeping cars, hauled by engine 1219 with Road Foreman of Engines Robert M. Pearce at the throttle. Pearce had relieved Engineer S.J. Keith 12 miles from Rockmart.
After taking water, the Royal Palm slowly proceeded southward. It was nearly stopped when it was struck by the Ponce de Leon, which was traveling at about 50 miles per hour.
“We were waiting for the Ponce de Leon to take the switch and pass us when [instead] she roared past and came toward us,” Corrie said, according to The Atlanta Constitution. “I grabbed the brake lever, yelled to the fireman to jump, and tied the whistle down. Then I jumped, cleared a fence and leaped a ditch before the crash came.”
An Interstate Commerce Commission report indicates 19 people — 11 passengers, 7 railway employees, and 1 newsagent — were killed. Other sources indicate a higher death toll. More than 120 others were injured in the crash.
It also highlighted the need for periodic examinations of railway employees on operating rules and physical qualifications.
In a statement after the wreck, H.W. Miller, vice president of the Southern Railway, said the wreck “was due to a human failure by an employee whose previous record was clear.” He added that “the train order, which was disregarded, is un-impeachable.”
“But these facts do not comfort the management,” Miller said. “The accident comes to us as a great shock, particularly when we have been so fortunate as not to have had any serious accident for many years; in fact, for some years our record has been clear of the fatal injury of a single passenger.”
Trains on this line were operated by timetable, train orders, and a manual block-signal system.
The ICC investigation revealed that the wreck was caused by either a misunderstanding or a failure to remember the contents of train order No. 92, which required the Ponce de Leon to take siding at Rockmart. Statements from various employees, including engineers, conductors, and firemen, provided their accounts of the accident.
The report concluded that Pearce or Keith failed to understand the train order or forgot its contents. The high speed of the Ponce de Leon and the late application of air brakes indicated that Pearce expected a clear track.
The report, signed by W.P. Borland, director of the Bureau of Safety, emphasized the importance of strict adherence to operating rules and proper communication of train orders. It is recommended that automatic block signals and train control systems be installed to prevent similar accidents.
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